A plenary indulgence will available to people who attend a specially designated church and participate in a religious function or public devotion in honour of St Paul on Sunday January 25, the feast of the Conversion of St Paul.
The eight special churches were named by Archbishop Hickey at the start of the Pauline year last June and are listed below.
In those churches, subject to the usual conditions for a plenary indulgence, attendance at Sunday Mass and Holy Communion (including the Vigil) will enable people to obtain the indulgence.
All eight parishes have been asked by the Archbishop to prepare special devotions to St Paul so that people from other parishes may attend Mass at home but also qualify for the plenary indulgence, which may be applied to themselves or to the souls in purgatory.
When Pope Benedict announced the Year of St Paul last year, he assigned the indulgence to any Church on the opening and closing dates of the year – June 28, 2008 and June 29, 2009. He also encouraged local bishops to nominate ‘pilgrimage’ churches and special dates when the indulgence would be available in their dioceses.
Archbishop Hickey nominated three additional dates, June 29,2008, January 25, 2009, and June 28, 2009.
The appointed Churches and their times of special devotions are:
l St Paul’s Church, 104 Rookwood St, Mt Lawley. Contact on (08) 9271 5253.
l Sts Peter and Paul Church, Redemptorist Monastery, Vincent St, North Perth. Saturday January 24: Reconciliation – 10am-12 noon, 4-4.30pm, 5.30-6pm. Sunday January 25: Masses – 7am, 9am, 10.30am, 6pm. Reconciliation – after all Sunday Masses and 5.30-6pm.
l St Joachim’s Pro-Cathedral, Shepperton Rd, Victoria Park. Saturday January 24: Reconciliation – 5-5.45pm. Vigil Mass 6pm.Sunday January 25: Masses: 8am, 9.30am, 11am, 6pm.
l St Simon Peter Church, Prendiville Ave, Ocean Reef: 2pm Holy Hour of St Paul including Exposition, Benediction, readings, hymns, prayers and periods of silence in the Taize style, followed by afternoon tea in the Parish Centre. Mass times: 8am, 10am, 6pm.
l Basilica of St Patrick, Adelaide St, Fremantle. Contact on (08) 9335 2268.
l St Jerome’s Church, cnr Rockingham Rd and Troode St, Munster. Contact on (08) 9418 1229.
l St Joseph’s Church cnr Gordon and Wellington Sts, Northam. Saturday January 24: Reconciliation – 11am-12.30pm. Vigil Mass – 6.30pm. Sunday January 25 – Reconciliation – 7-7.50am. Mass – 8am.
l St Mary’s Church, cnr Brockman and Porter Sts, Kalgoorlie. For further information contact on (08) 9021 2100.
The usual conditions for obtaining a plenary indulgence are Reconciliation and Communion, praying the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed, and prayers for the Pope’s intentions (said publicly or privately). Those who are sick or homebound can gain the indulgence if they spiritually unite themselves to a Jubilee celebration in honour of St Paul, offering their prayers and suffering to God for the unity of Christians.